NIST *OFFICIALLY* Loses All Credibility

6. How could the WTC towers collapse in only 11 seconds (WTC 1) and 9 seconds (WTC 2)—speeds that approximate that of a ball dropped from similar
height in a vacuum (with no air resistance)?

NIST estimated the elapsed times for the first exterior panels to strike the ground after the collapse initiated in each of the towers to be
approximately 11 seconds for WTC 1 and approximately 9 seconds for WTC 2. These elapsed times were based on: (1) precise timing of the initiation of
collapse from video evidence, and (2) ground motion (seismic) signals recorded at Palisades, N.Y., that also were precisely time-calibrated for wave
transmission times from lower Manhattan (see NCSTAR 1-5A).

As documented in Section 6.14.4 of NIST NCSTAR 1, these collapse times show that:

“… the structure below the level of collapse initiation offered minimal resistance to the falling building mass at and above the impact zone. The
potential energy released by the downward movement of the large building mass far exceeded the capacity of the intact structure below to absorb that
energy through energy of deformation.

Since the stories below the level of collapse initiation provided little resistance to the tremendous energy released by the falling building mass,
the building section above came down essentially in free fall, as seen in videos. As the stories below sequentially failed, the falling mass
increased, further increasing the demand on the floors below, which were unable to arrest the moving mass.”

In other words, the momentum (which equals mass times velocity) of the 12 to 28 stories (WTC 1 and WTC 2, respectively) falling on the supporting
structure below (which was designed to support only the static weight of the floors above and not any dynamic effects due to the downward momentum) so
greatly exceeded the strength capacity of the structure below that it (the structure below) was unable to stop or even to slow the falling mass. The
downward momentum felt by each successive lower floor was even larger due to the increasing mass.

From video evidence, significant portions of the cores of both buildings (roughly 60 stories of WTC 1 and 40 stories of WTC 2) are known to have stood
15 to 25 seconds after collapse initiation before they, too, began to collapse. Neither the duration of the seismic records nor video evidence (due to
obstruction of view caused by debris clouds) are reliable indicators of the total time it took for each building to collapse completely.

Originally posted by esdad71
The seismic event would have begun when the floors began to collapse, right? I mean, the sound of on floor impacting another that size would be the
beginning of the collapse.

The peak siesmic signal would be caused by the bulk of the building mass hitting the earth.

The durration of the seismic signal is not correlated to the durration of the collapse.

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